machree

[ muh-kree, muh-khree ]

noun

, Irish English.

1. my dear.

machree

/ məˈkriː /

adjective

1. postpositive my dear

   mother machree

Word History and Origins

Origin of machree¹

First recorded in 1820–30, machree is from Irish mo chroidhe literally, “my heart”

Word History and Origins

Origin of machree¹

from Irish mo croidhe

Example Sentences

As St. Patrick’s Day approached, the program’s host and producer, Mitch Miller, asked Mr. McGrath if he knew the song “Mother Machree.”

From New York Times

Katherine O’Dell, no Mother Machree, is Ireland’s star of stage and screen.

From New York Times

“Holy Mother Machree!” — sets the stage for a high-difficulty triple rhyme that pulls all the threads of Normand’s character together: “ambitious,” “knishes” and — wait for it — “St. Aloysius.”

From New York Times

“Pence,” Lord continued, “is Irish American and wastes no opportunity to go misty-eyed about his love for the ‘Old Country’ as he lards on his Mother Machree schtick on both sides of the Atlantic.”

From The Guardian

Miriam Lord, a columnist for the Irish Times, wrote that Pence “wastes no opportunity to go misty-eyed about his love for the ‘Old Country’ as he lards on his Mother Machree schtick on both sides of the Atlantic.”

From Washington Post